


On the side of fate

by MeduCaniLepi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abandonment, Akasaku, Alternate Universe, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Break Up, Cheating, Emotional Manipulation, Escape, F/F, F/M, Fixing oneself, Growing Up, Heartbreak, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Manipulation, Manipulative Relationship, Medical Professionals, Moving On, Moving Out, Multi, MultiSaku - Freeform, Multiship, Post-Break Up, Slow Burn, Strong Female Characters, Uchisaku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:02:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23504281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeduCaniLepi/pseuds/MeduCaniLepi
Summary: Sakura returns home early from a grueling business trip in Suna and takes the time to surprise her beloved only to bear witness to a betrayal she never expected. So what would anyone do it this situation? Rampage? Beat the piss out of the other person? Discuss and work it out? Or maybe run? Running seems like a good option, after all fight of flight instincts are hard to control in a high emotional state of mind.
Relationships: Akatsuki/Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 26
Kudos: 123





	1. Starting anew

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, i hope whoever reads this story enjoys it. It's based off of a post i saw awhile back ago where similar events took place and it inspired me to write a story on it. The post was about a girl who was going to surprise her significant other with games and i think their favorite snack of drink and when they walked in they saw them in bed with another person, so without being heard they walked out leaving behind the gifts and the key then proceeded to block them on every social media they had. What happened after I have no cue about but i found that alone to be so empowering that i wanted to make a story based off of it, so here it is. 
> 
> It's a work in progress, and i hope that whoever reads it leaves comments on what they'd like to see. Whether it's future pairings or a direction they'd like the story to turn. Frankly i don't know where i might take this story but if anyone has ideas after reading feel free to comment. There's only a couple of chapters written so far.
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy and let me know what you think.

It had been a long week to say the least, full of chaos, miscellaneous tasks, and more than just one buttload of stress with no source of relief. Having to depart on short notice for a business trip all the way in Suna to help evaluate how it’s medical field is evolving and provide insight on efficient ways for them to meet their end goal was not all it was cracked up to be. Helping from every angle such as cost efficiency all the way down to how to properly clean a bedpan, since some of the staff just seemed hell bent on their negligence. 

Though that should no longer be the case after dealing with one short tempered hellion with a sizable pink mane. Though most would compare her to a fluffed out hissing cat when angry...of course that is until she starts destroying things around her. Such as the foliage behind the hospital, in front of the staff that she’s supposed to be showing how to procure and make medicinal remedies with the regional plants in the area. You know, in case of a shortage of outsourced medicine, not at all just to scare them into shitting themselves by her brute strength that could easily break their spines if they neglect any of their duties or look down on her in all her short statured glory.

Though the trip wasn’t as bad as it would seem, there were actually quite a few great points to the visit. Not only did she help get Suna’s General Hospital in tip top performance but she also had the chance of a lifetime to talk with one of the greatest minds in medicine. The kazekage himself scheduled the meeting and oversaw it and to say it wasn’t a delight to pick the mind of Chiyo and have witty conversation between her and the Kazekage would be the biggest lie in existence. That’s not to mention how beautiful the scenery was even though most of it was sand, there were still some of the most beautiful plants she’d ever had the chance of seeing.

To say the week hadn’t been chaotic in best and worst ways possible, would be a lie. All our dear Sakura wanted now was to be home in her warm bed away from the desert heat and in the loving arms of her fiance. To have to leave on such short notice and not see him had been taxing on her in an odd way. She messaged him every chance she got and sent photos of the different sights she had gotten the chance to see. Even going as far as being attentive to him and his woes from work while on the point of passing out from her own exhaustion from 14 hour shifts and research. While he was short in messaging and they would come few and far in between during the day, he would still make sure to write to her before bed telling her how proud he was of her and that he loved her.

Now she was on her way home, a day earlier than planned and in the early hours of the morning but man, oh man was she excited to be home. She couldn’t wait to crawl into bed next to the love of her life or to see the excitement on his face when she shows him the little gift she had gotten him. He never cared much for possessional things, he liked practical goods. Which is why she had purchased a yellow pear tomato plant. 

It was no secret that Sasuke loves tomatoes, and these ones could thrive on minimum attention. They were also quite delicious even to someone who can’t sit and eat them like they’re candy. It was something he enjoyed, perfect for a snack, had nutritional value, didn’t require too much time and was cost efficient with how this boy can dig into tomatoes. Hence it was the perfect practical gift to give him from her travels.

It’s just a matter of putting it in the sun by the window where he’ll see it when he gets up for the morning. Soon life would be back to normal and she’d get to enjoy the simpler things in her life again. She missed her routine, her job at the hospital in Konoha, her workouts with Ino at the gym, spending free time with her best friends, and to top it all off seeing her future husband and childhood crush every morning and night. 

Soon everything would be how it was supposed to be and the anticipation left her shaking in enthusiasm to just be home already. The drive was beginning to seem endless until she finally pulled up to her street. The sky was alight as the sun was just peeking over the horizon giving the morning a hazy mix of blue and yellow, almost like watercolor. The giddiness was overwhelming and the sky seemed brighten with her, she almost had half a mind to honk her horn upon pulling up into the driveway like she would whenever she had to be away for more than her usual time. But decided against it since even the birds seemed barely awake, let alone would her neighbors appreciate that quirk in the early morning hours. 

As quickly as she could she jumped out of her car and fumbled to pull the keys from the ignition, ready to enjoy the comfort of her shared home and surprise her lover with her early return. She swiftly grabbed the tomato plant opting to leave her suitcase for later and rushed from the drive to climb the couple of steps to her front door to unlock it and enter the humble aboud. More humble since she left it appears as there are tiny messes here and there from takeout containers to a suit jacket laying on the back of the couch. It left her with butterflies and a bit of an endearing smile. Sasuke had a die hard habit of leaving his jacket on the back of the couch, which was always followed by him loosening his tie and smiling as he would bend over the side to kiss her in the spot she took refuge in on a daily basis. Nice to see even while away that his habit was there to stay.

Sakura spent a few leisurely seconds to smile like a love struck fool and think of how he might have missed her just as much as she missed him. He seemed to have the emotional range of a stale piece of bread until he let you get close enough. While he doesn’t show it on his face he does care. Taking her shoes off to not make too much noise, Sakura made her way to the dining area to set the tomato plant down by the sliding glass doors that lead to the backyard. The perfect spot to not be in the way and to get sunlight, conveniently also one of the first places one sees when entering it to go into the kitchen. There’s no way to miss the bright yellow pear tomatoes and it’s bushy greenery as you step foot in the room, your eye is almost automatically drawn to it. Let alone if you have the keen eyesight of an Uchiha.

Sakura couldn’t help biting her lip as she made her way quietly out of the dining room, turning down the hall to her left that led to the bathroom, their shared study and their bedroom where he must inevitably still be sleeping. Her foot falls were quiet barely making a sound as her fluffy striped socks hit the hardwood flooring. As she reached the door leading to her destination she decided to gingerly turn the knob to not disturb her significant other's sleep. She watched her feet while crossing the threshold but couldn’t help but smile and turn her face up to catch sight of his peaceful sleeping face. It was one of those rare things she got to indulge in since he was normally up before her.

But upon lifting her face to see such a rare treat her smile became crestfallen. Rare treat indeed, for before her eyes was her fiance sleeping peacefully in their bed with his arms wrapped tightly around another. The woman was curvaceous, with long silky flowing hair and a beautiful face to match. A face free of any makeup in these early morning hours with a sweet smile tucked neatly on it to go along with whatever sweet sated dreams she may be having. Everything was quiet except for their deep sleep addled breathing. Sakura couldn’t breathe, it was all too surreal what she was seeing. It couldn’t be real, could it?

Slowly she brought her hands up to rub her eyes hoping the image was just a figment of her exhausted mind. Nope, it’s still there. Nothing had changed, her fiance was still very much intertwined with this unknown woman and with a heart sinking clarity the picture became more defined. They were both naked as the days they were born, each one with their own marks of the events that took place while she was away. Some were fresh blooming love bites dusting the top of the woman’s breasts, while some were a mix of purple and sickly yellow. This wasn’t just a one night occurrence. Upon sasuke were scratches from his shoulders that seemed to make a pathway to his back.

It took her awhile before she could breathe again and a little longer after that to finally convince her legs to move. She had no thoughts, no ideas, or plans, or anything even remotely constructive or sane running through her mind. All she had were a few silent tears running down her cheeks, and the feeling of heat storming the blood vessels in her cheeks, ears and running down the columns of her neck to her shoulders while simultaneously feeling colder than she ever has before. In the back of her mind there was a slight registration of feeling her heart plummet into her stomach to seek refuge and choosing to shatter there in the acid instead of behind the safety of her ribcage. 

Before she knew it she had quietly collected a suitcase in the walk-in closet adjacent to the bedroom and collected pieces of her wardrobe along with other knick knacks residing in it that she couldn’t bear to part with and a memory box she had started in her delicate youth. She managed not to make a sound as she collected all she needed from the room and moved on to the study and bathroom, shoving it all in the trunk of her car afterwards. The very last thing she did before she left was put her key and engagement ring on a keychain and hang it on one of the more prominent branches of the tomato plant where it gleamed brightly, basking in the sun's rays. With one final look around she opened the front door making sure to lock it from the other side before closing the door on her way out.

Once in the safety of her car again she started it back up and proceeded to leave what was once her home, driving with no destination in mind. Listlessly turning down different roads till familiarity began to bloom around the edges of the streets and stopping outside another welcoming home she visits all the time. Somehow it doesn’t bring comfort even if it was the home of one of her dearest friends, somehow she doesn’t have the will to face anyone who might worry over her. 

So instead she turns to the suitcase she’d left forgotten in the backseat upon arriving back in Konoha and takes out the present she had bought for Ino. It was a scarf that was embellished thickly at the ends with gold that gradually flaked off and transitioned into a beautifully rich plum purple in the middle. Ino’s favorite color to wear and it was safely wrapped up in paper with red string to keep it secured. Without much thought Sakura took out a notepad and pen from the glove box and scribbled out a neat note about the gift being from her. As she was writing, a plan started to form for her, no longer being thoughtless and without direction she decided what she was going to do.

Hastily she added to the note the details of what she was planning on doing, feeling a sense of clarity as she scribbled out her plans. Informing Ino that in spur of the moment she plans to uproot her life and wander off somewhere where she’d have some anonymity, then again maybe all this was shock induced irrationality and she was trying to find ways to excuse her need for flight since she clearly didn’t choose to fight. Quickly she added that she would contact her as soon as the rest of the details were put into place. With that finished she set the scarf and note neatly into Ino’s mailbox and proceeded to make her rounds to drop off similar notes and thought out gifts for the rest of her friends.

Once finished she made it to her final destination, her place of work and made her way to Tsunade’s office. Before she had left on her business trip Tsunade had asked her about a relocation to another hospital in need of good doctors to further their medical research. Sakura meant to turn it down but as stubborn as ever Tsunade had been firm in telling her to at least think it over. Bearing the best sake Suna had to offer along with a gift for Shizune and her little Tonton she firmly wrapped the back of her knuckles against the door waiting for confirmation to enter. She didn’t have to wait long to hear an agitated ‘Come in’ muffled by the door.

Truth be told the position she had been offered would further her career exponentially and had excellent benefits. Prior to that day she had every intention to deny the offer since all her friends were in Konoha. Not to mention she had planned to start a family, a few years give or take from now of course. After all the relocation was all the way in Amegakure and her fiance...former fiance, wouldn’t have even played with the idea of going, let alone let her go on her own. Not that anyone could tell her what to do, but she was content with her life. Already had a promising career at the young age of 23, she had her friends who were like family, hell her boss was practically her mother and to top it all off the man she had loved since she was a child had been hers.

Key word being had. So without further stalling Sakura took one final deep breath and opened the door, striding confidently up to Tsunade’s desk. Practically slamming the gallon jug of sake on the desk making the older woman jump and turn her focus onto the pink haired medic in the process.

Sakura furrowed her brow and took the moment to exclaim her statement before Tsunade could begin to say anything.

“I’ll take it!”

The blonde sat stunned for a moment with an inquishioning gaze on her surrogate daughter not sure or following where this statement was going. As she opened her mouth to speak, still fully holding onto her questioning gaze Sakura piped up again.

“The job transfer to Ame, I’ll take it.”

She was so firm in her delivery that Tsunade had to lean back in her chair presenting a more than slightly stunned expression with widened eyes and slight gape to her mouth. Sakura’s eyes held firm while watching her mentor, giving her the time she needed to form her response. As was said before, Tsunade was practically a mother to Sakura. She wanted nothing more than for the young woman before her to succeed, like any mother would her own child, so she had made the offer hoping for its approval but knowing it’s inevitable rejection from Sakura was to come. To say she’s surprised at this turn of events is the understatement of the year, no her lifetime! And that’s saying something when you have knuckleheaded perverts like Jiraiya and Naruto in your life.

After pulling her thoughts together she leaned forward, stapling her hands together upon her desk high in the air to rest her mouth behind it and with calculating narrowed eyes she assessed the possibilities that must’ve brought this decision forth. It surely wasn’t that Suna was further ahead than Konoha in the medical field pushing her to try and exceed it. Otherwise they would have never asked for assistance, nor would there be two emails in her inbox from the chief of staff and Kazekage stating the wonderful job she had done in their hospital in such short notice. Short amount of time to boot, but productive nonetheless hence her early arrival back home. No this was something else, more personal. Looking at the clock she came to the conclusion it couldn’t be any of her friends either. At 7 in the morning it’s much too early for any of them to be fully awake or up in some cases.Plus it was too obvious when you realize why she would decide to stay in the first place. 

With a deep sigh that brought Sakura back to attention after the long pause that took place, she felt on edge and ready to defend herself from anything too personal to talk about in the moment. Her eyes still felt puffy from crying in her car in front of both Ino’s house and Naruto and Hinata’s home. 

“It’s yours.” Tsunade breathed out a sigh and relaxed her features.

Sakura momentarily lapsed in her automatic and prepared response to regard Tsunade,

“I-wai-, what? ...You’re not going to ask questions?

All Tsunade could do was chuckle and reach for the jug of sake before turning her bright amber eyes up to a pair of emerald ones.

“I do have some semblance of patience, Sakura. I can wait till you’re ready to talk...plus I’m sure i’ve already figured it out and I’ll wring the little bastard up by his family jewels next time I see him”

Though the sentence had started out calm it had ended in such a gravelly way you wouldn’t think it was english but some ancient demon language composed of growling. It brought a shiver up Sakura’s spine only to leave her like stone at the indication of her now ex, an ex who has yet to learn of his new found status. She turned her face down and away to avoid eye contact with the woman she’s come to see as her mom. Only to then feel herself wrapped in a comforting embrace that left her in a new wave of emotions. She still felt the knee buckling sadness she felt before but now it was accompanied with a sense of relief she couldn’t quite describe. It left her weeping into Tsunade’s chest like an adolescent child, and before long she was crying out the whole ordeal she had stumbled upon. She felt like the 9 year old crybaby bawling about how all the other kids were picking on her again, she thought she left that part of herself behind. All the while Tsunade just cooed and stroked her back in soothing circles.

After the last waves of sobbing passed and a pat on the back she was withdrawn from the embrace and looked up into the face of her boss, mother, mentor...home. 

“Feel any better now that you’ve cried?”

With a final sniff and hiccup Sakura nodded while Tsunade wiped her remaining tears off of her face, determined eyes turned sternly to hers.

“Good because now it’s time to be strong, you have to take time for yourself when you need to but don’t stay in a dark place for too long. Life won’t stop moving forward and I won’t be there with you in Ame to knock any sense into that gorgeous over analytic head of yours. So woman up!”

Though the words were fierce they were said with a warm fondness that Sakura couldn’t help but smile and bubble over into laughter. It was such a warm, contagious sound that Tsunade couldn’t help but join in on. With one more loving gaze full of pride and memories of younger years, Tsunade cradled the side of Sakura’s face using her thumb to stroke her cheek.

“Now we just need to make the final arrangements with Ame’s chief of staff and whatever else you need and you can be on your way there to get situated. They made arrangements to make transition as fluid as possible upon acceptance of the offer. They have a place for you to get started in until you get acquainted with the city and decide to live elsewhere if it doesn’t suit your standards. On the off chance you accepted I had all the paperwork including maps printed up and ready for you to take. As the saying goes, hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” She finished with a proud smile and fished the paperwork out of her desk for Sakura to take

After the initial stunned surprise wore off Sakura returned the gesture and collected the paperwork, ready to start anew. By this time an hour and a half had already gone by and Shizune had stopped in to take her position as Tsunade’s assistant and secretary so Sakura handed off her gifts for her and Tonton. With a bit more contemplation as she reviewed the paperwork with Tsunade she decided to make one more split second decision before heading off to Ame and voiced them off to her mother figure who seemed to preen in obvious proud contentment like a mother hen. 

With that Sakura left the office and practically ran out the hospital doors and to her car to finish up her last bit of business. Little more than an hour after that Sakura found herself standing proudly outside her cell phone provider's store, new phone in hand with a completely different number. A new phone hadn’t been necessary but she’d figured while in store she deserved to pamper herself a bit. The day was full of nothing but sporadic rash decisions and she had never felt more alive than in that moment. 

Specifically in the middle of the transaction when a phone call came through on her old phone just before it was permanently shut off and the number obsolete. As she caught a glimpse of the name at the top of the screen anxiety had shot through her like red hot lightning residing in her stomach with her heart before it bloomed into a cornucopia of melancholy and bittersweet memories. As soon as the feeling washed over her Tsunade’s words took hold and she felt pensive serenity.

‘It’s time to woman up, we can take the time to be an emotional wreck when we reach our new home.’

With that final thought she hopped back into her car and started driving to her destination, remembering the directions along with every little detail on the map her mentor had given to her. Thank god for her great memory skills, she didn’t exactly have an eidetic memory but close enough to it. Again thank the gods otherwise she’d be as lost as Naruto when it came to Hinata’s feelings,... even after she shouted it in his face while he was in the hospital, the lovable moron. 

Speaking of loveable morons, reminded Sakura that she needed to contact him and everyone else she had just left behind. Though it would have to wait till she was safely at her new home and off the road. She had seen one too many car accidents revolving around phones to make that mistake. So they’d all have to make due with the notes given until she either takes a break from the road or gets there in the 32 or so hours it’ll take to reach Ame while conserving her phone's battery. 

‘I guess we’ll just have to hope they’re not too mad at me for running…’


	2. Truth behold, and scary beginnings

Sasuke’s Pov

It had happened again…

He couldn’t understand why he kept doing this when she was gone. Maybe he was insatiable,maybe desires weren’t being met. Maybe in all his self loathing he was unconsciously looking to self sabotage one of the only things that made him happy before it had a chance to do it for him. Or maybe all the pressure growing up from his family to be the prodigal son since his brother left their father high and dry had taken some abnormal toll on how he viewed his relationships.

He wasn’t sure what it was anymore, there were too many blurred lines on what it could be and it’s never truly just one reason as to why something happens in the choices we make. He just knew it had happened again. Once again he was filled with rose toned dreams of the woman he loved. It was too good to be true, she was the perfect metaphor of a rose toned world with her rosey locks and viridian eyes speckled with the richest emerald he’d ever seen. Why did he do this again?

He was waking up, he could almost smell her. How she usually smelt when her sweat mingled with her perfume. He was gripping the body next to him, squeezing them tighter into his torso. The memories flooded back to him. Despite the scent he smelled, this was not his woman. Well it wasn’t the same woman he had been dreaming of anyways, but this wasn’t his first tango with her. There were plenty of business trips he had spent with her and while each one left him with a pit deep in his stomach when he looked at his soon to be wife, he still did it. It didn’t help that the feeling only lasted a few days when he was in the presence of his fiance. Then the cycle would repeat when one of them had to go off again.

The smell was too much. What would be another time? Sakura wouldn’t be home for another day anyways. Things would still be the same. This woman in his bed would leave after enjoying eachothers company, Sakura would come home and welcome him with open arms, he would feel the guilt, and then with her constant reassurance and affection without knowing why he was standoffish it would all go back to normal. Until the cycle repeated once more.

With the dream and image of her in his head and all his self loathing he started to bring the woman beside him to life. Roaming hands, perfectly placed kisses and licks in the rights places and she was a wound up bomb waiting to go off again for him. This was what he needed right now. She was willing and ready and an absolute mess under him as she begged him in all the dirty ways he liked to hear. 

As they finished up their morning romp he stood up and went to the middle of the room to grab the boxers he left behind the night prior and caught whiff of the scent he thought played only in his dreams that night. A floral perfume with sweet accents that was never too much or overwhelmed the nose. He wasn’t expecting it but it wasn’t the first time he caught whiff of it after one of these nights. Besides it being a little more prominent than usual, there was nothing to be cautious over. At least that’s what he told himself despite it raising the hair on the back of his neck and arms. It was nothing

Once his boxers were firmly in place he made his way to the bathroom to relieve his bladder, eyes closed in content as the built up pressure was gone. It was only after he opened his eyes that he noticed key items missing within the bathroom, items that were there the night before. His heart skipped a beat momentarily and he tried rationalizing what could have happened. Maybe the woman he chose to share a bed with and grew some sticky fingers since their last encounter. She did occasionally express jealousy and contempt when it came to Sakura. That had to be it, he would just have to bring it up.

There was a light chuckle from the open entryway of the bathroom. If he wasn’t accustomed to schooling his features he would’ve jumped. It was odd he let his thought carry him away far enough to lose focus of his surroundings. When he turned to face the dark haired woman he was perplexed to find her eating little yellow tomatoes. An odd feeling started taking him over, he couldn’t describe what it was. He felt his chest go cold and heat bloom on the back of his neck while staring at the offending fruit. As he was about to inquire about them she had spoken up.

“Do any friends have a key to your place? Someone left a tomato plant next to your sliding glass doors and these tomatoes are to die for.” and with a mischievous smirk she raised a tomato to her lips and raised up onto her tippy toes to feed him mouth to mouth.

Only to be completely ignored as a cold dread shot through him, besides him and Sakura only Naruto, Hinata and Ino had access into their home. The dobe would have beaten the shit out of him if he had been the one to catch Sasuke in that state. Ino wasn’t thoughtful enough to bring a gift over, especially one that would benefit his love for tomatoes and Sakura talent for plants, though usually just medicinal. She would keep quiet for a while but it still had Sasuke moving the girl in front of him out of the way so he could squeeze passed her through the doorway and rush to the dining room.

That’s where he saw it. Just like Kin had said, standing proudly in the sun of the sliding glass doors was the plant. Full of fruit and greenery. He could hear Kin yelling from behind him, asking what the rush was about as she reached him. She had run into him hard enough that he had to readjust, least they tumble over. It was as he shifted the weight into his left foot to gain a better balance that a glint on the tree caught his attention. All his focus turned to that shine catching the light, a stunned look on his face as he slowly approached it.

His dread turned to panic as his mind registered what it was. His hand ripped through the air to grab the offending objects. He stared at his hand in disbelief, refusing to open his hand and acknowledge what he was holding. He wasn’t registering that he had a witness to his internal struggle, he barely registered her opening his hand to view the object in question. He didn't even hear her gasp. It was only when the object met the air with a charming gleam that he felt his world crumbling. Everything started crashing and falling apart, that perfect world he thought he’d keep forever, that he fought to mold into what it was now. It was vanishing before his eyes. 

In his hand was a single key and beautiful engagement ring. He had to fix this. There was no other option, it was going to be fixed. Outward he was shaking in a way that seemed vulnerable, so much so that Kin put her head on his shoulder and tried to soothe him. In his head was another story. He was a storm full of rage and already constructing a plan to get her back by any means. He knew how to get what he wanted, it’s why she always refused to stay in any location outside of Konoha for work. Until this point he had been working on getting her to cut her hours at the hospital back, so they could build a family together. It was not going to end like this.

His surroundings came back to him, he felt the soothing strokes on his back and shoulders, the cooing that did nothing for his bruised ego. This was never supposed to happen, everything was supposed to stay hidden. She was never supposed to find out, let alone leave. Slowly he placed a hand over Kins, holding it still as he turned his head towards her. She expected to see tears in his eyes but instead all she was gifted with was a red eyed glare full of malice. It had her shocked, rooted to her spot in fear.

In a low tone he told her firmly, “Get. Out.” 

She didn’t know what to do other than stare, mouth slightly agape, “W-what?”

“You’re not deaf Kin, I said Get Out! You’ve outgrown your worth” 

With That he turned and walked into his room, grabbing everything that was hers. Piling it into a heap in his arms as he briskly walked back out to her, he shoved the items in her arms, turned her and began pushing her towards the door. The reality of what was happening came back to her and she started screaming at him as she tried to put on her clothes from the night before while still being shoved towards the door. He didn’t relent at all, not even when she started to beg him to stay with her. Sakura should have been the only yelling at him in rage and then saying she still wanted to be together. So why wasn’t that the case.

He opened the door and with one final weak push she was out the door. A sobbing mess claiming they could make something work from this. With a dull expression, he sucked his teeth at her, “You were nothing more than a warm body, Kin. Don’t show yourself in front of me again.”

He didn’t notice the man with silver hair straggling behind his friends and witnessing the whole scene as it played out, or staying behind a little while longer to hear the girl scream from the other side of the door about how perfect the two of them were together. Nor had it been his first time seeing her leave that house with love bites. Instead Sasuke locked his front door and started his plan. It was the late afternoon so he tried calling her, she would probably be at Ino’s since he hadn’t heard anything from the other tempramental bonde. Which would mean she’s doing damage control before she tried to chew him out. So he quickly picked up his phone and began dialing Sakura’s number.

Once she heard his voice and he apologised she would be more inclined to speak in person. The phone rang, and rang but her usual answering machine didn’t meet his ear. His frustration peaked so he dialed again, but this time was very different.

“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please end your call and try again later.”

He couldn’t believe his ears, it had to be a joke. There was no way this was possibly happening, Ino must’ve told her to change her voicemail to that to scare him before inevitably calming down enough to talk to him. He tried a few more times, each one met with that annoying voice recording. He was going to have to pull all the stops for her to forgive him if she’s stooping to this. Usually if he did something wrong she would yell and take her frustration out at the gym. So Instead he got dressed, donning the navy blue shirt she had bought him that she loved seeing him in, put on the cologne that always made it hard for her to say no and grabbed his phone, wallet and keys before making his way out of their shared home.

He made his way to her favorite dining place, it was a real hole in the wall place that he loathed going to but they served her favorites and he was going to need that. As he walked in, monotone in voice and expression he ordered her usuals. Umeboshi rice balls, anko dumplings and to push it over the top anmitsu which she only gets when she feels like treating herself. He was met with a warm smile from the old couple that ran the shop, they didn’t see him often but knew him and Sakura were attached so they threw in a little extra when they noticed it was all her favorites.

On his next stop he walked into a flower shop, separate from the yamanaka’s, and grabbed a bouquet that was filled with an array of colors that would leave you dizzy. But nothing was too extravagant when his end goal was to fix all the wrong he had caused. He just needed to get back into her good graces, then it would be game over.

Finally he made his way to Ino’s home, pulling into the driveway outside of the garage. They must’ve parked her car in there so he wouldn’t think she was there. He noticed a few other cars that were familiar. Leave it to Ino to get everyone involved. Gingerly he got out of the car with his gifts in hand and walked those final steps to the door, and prepared for the screeching he was about to hear from his fiance's best friend and what some of the others might do. He could already feel the headache blooming behind his eyes. He raised his hand to the doorbell and rang it. After a short period went by he heard a couple sets of feet walking on the other side. As always he was on the mark when it came to his beloved.

But she wasn’t there, instead it was just Ino along with that social reject she’d been seeing for awhile now. He blankly stared ahead and caught sight of some of the others in her living room. And instead of being met with yelling, Ino wore a worried look along with a note in her right hand. She pulled him inside bringing him to the living room where everyone seemed to have a note on the same paper that he vaguely remembers seeing in Sakura’s car.

“Did you get a note too?” she started.

‘This was odd, what was she talking about? Where’s Sakura? Why did everyone have a note?’ He had questions, and they just kept multiplying with thought.

At his silence Ino took notice of what he had in his hands, it wasn’t anything new. Occasionally if Sakura showed up on her door first he would stop by with something for her. But this was a bit much. Gently she took the gifts out of his hangs and placed them on her coffee table and handed him her note. He was stumped, for once he didn’t know what to do. There was no way at this point that all this was an elaborate joke to get back at him for what he had done.

Soon everyone began talking again, trying to figure out why their friend would just up and disappear like this. Kiba and Hinata sat petting Akamaru for comfort with Shino sitting quietly next to Kiba. Naruto was by Hinata, arms crossed glaring daggers at Sasuke while his leg was a jumping mess. Choji ate a bag of chips while he sat next to Shikamaru who just watched everything unfolding. Ino and Sai sat back on the love seat and she curled up next to him looking forlorn. Rock Lee sat indian style, raising the knee to his leg constantly, while Neji and Tenten talked over the possibilities behind him. 

After so long Naruto had had enough of the silence and jumped up to yell and point the finger at Sasuke, “I BET TEME HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS!!!” Lee shot up behind him, nodding his agreement on the situation.

“Naruto you can’t always blame Sasuke the second something happens with Sakura!” Ino chimed in.

“Actually, I think I’m going to have to agree with Naruto on this one Ino.” Began Shikamaru. As Ino went to stick up for Sasuke another time he cut her off, “Think about it. We all got letters along with the gifts she gave us, yet he’s the only one without one. Then he shows up here, to your house with what looks to be her favorites from that little mom and pop shop she visits every chance she gets having no clue she’s disappeared. Along with some obnoxious flower arrangement from some overpriced shop that's not your family’s. So it looks to me like he’s trying to avoid you and bribe Sakura. He obviously did something wrong here. Maybe I’m wrong but we know how likely that is. What a fucking drag.” That was the last thing he said as he leaned back side eyeing the Uchiha.

This was bad. No one had a clue and now suspicion was rising. He could see it plain as day on their faces and he needed to fix this before it got worse. Afterall Sakura clearly didn’t say anything to anyone, so it’s all assumptions till then. With quick thinking he dug into his pocket and pulled out the key and ring that was left behind for everyone to see.

“Tch,I wouldn’t go that far. But I did wake up to this along with a tomato plant. I figured something happened in Suna and she was getting cold feet before the wedding.” He calmly lied through his teeth.

Ino grew wary of the sight but didn't say anything, It didn't make sense but nothing really did at his point, since Sakura never did anything without thinking but she was also gone without a trace. So something must’ve changed, right?

Most of the room was wary but seemed confused and inclined to believe anything at that moment given the weird events, that was until a voice spoke up from the hallway having let themselves in. 

“As much as i’d like to eat that story up too, i’d have to say you’re wrong Sasu-chan”

Everyone in the room turned to look to find their silver haired ‘teacher’ of sorts, standing idly behind in the hallway. He had just arrived and let himself in to hear what Shikamaru and Sasuke had to say. Tension was building as Sasuke and Kakashi stared one another down. Kakashi in all his silver haired glory just leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and Sasuke's stare became a scathing sight. All he replied with was a challenging ‘hn’ as if it was supposed to be anything other than a noise. He wasn’t giving credibility where it was due.

So Kakashi spoke his truth, it started off light hearted only to take on a deep and dark baritone towards the end, “I was out with Genma and Gai today, the man really never gives up and a friendly rivalry. But could you believe my shock when I'm walking by your place this afternoon with them to get home and shower when I see you pushing a screaming girl out of your home. Quite the sight, especially with all those hickeys she was adorning. Just imagine how that increased when I got to my apartment and found a not and that volume of ‘Icha Icha’ I've been looking forward to sitting in my mailbox. So, are we really sticking with the story that she got cold feet from Suna, or is it from her own home?” 

Events quickly changed after that, the room filled with screams and shouts unexpectedly the loudest was Hinata as she exclaimed her outrage on the whole situation. And Hinata’s yelling triggered Naruto as he lunged at Sasuke, not able to contain his anger anymore. Several of the guys had to pull them apart, Sai and Kakashi taking hold of Sasuke and Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru grabbing Naruto. They had a hard time restraining Naruto and Sasuke broke free of Sai and Kakashi just to rush out the door and escape the situation. He may not have friends after this but he was still going to get Sakura back.

End Sasuke POV

To say people were pissed would be the understatement of the year but oddly enough not much of it had been directed at Sakura. I mean sure she got yelled at quite a lot and by multiple people at the same time due to her sudden disappearance. She hadn’t expected most of the rage circling within the cohort was aimed at Sasuke Uchiha. She had heard what events that took place to everyone finding out.

While the outrage from Naruto and Ino had been expected, you know with both blondes being loud and obnoxious. What she hadn’t expected to hear was how Hinata had yelled at him, telling him how selfish his actions are and that Sakura hadn’t desevered such deplorable behaviour. Another unexpected turn was to find out that ‘look underneath the underneath’, the one and only Kakashi had been the one to uncover the news she had refused to give anyone. After all these years of his indifference and obvious favoritism of the boys she had never expected him to choose a side she never asked for.

The conversation with all her friends, including the ones she wasn’t so close to, had brought a tears to her eyes. It only increased into her becoming a sobbing mess over the phone hearing them all express how they missed her. She knew she had wonderful friends, even in the ones she seldom talked to but she never in her life expected them to care so much about her to rally together like this just to be able to speak with her. While quelling her cries to talk, Naruto's voice popped up from her phone along with his face expressing regret and concern on the screen.

“Uhhh, Sakura-chan...You’re not going to say not to be friends with Teme anymore are you? I’m not talking with him for a while but i also don’t want to leave him behind for good, ya know?” He questioned, then quickly adding, “Speaking of Teme, what do we tell him? He’s curi-iee yOUCH!! DAMNIT INO!!!”

“SHUT UP, NARU-TARD!!! Last thing she’ll want to hear about is him!! And of course you shouldn’t be his friend!! He cheated on Sakura with some bobble headed bimbo!!!” Ino had hollered as she smacked him on the back of the head and took the phone to aim the camera on her own face.

“You ok, Saks?”

Sakura was glad her face wasn’t on the receiving screen since she had placed it down in her tearful fit, after taking a moment with deep breaths, she composed herself and lifted the phone up to her face. The only light dimly illuminating her new apartment was from the kitchen adjacent to her living room and the light on her phone screen that was now infront of her puffy tear stained face. With a sad smile and timid nod of the head she replied.

“Yeah, I’m ok, Ino. And no, Naruto. I’m not going to tell anyone to stop being his friend. It’s not my goal. As for what to tell him...I’d rather you didn’t. I don’t want to associate with him. I moved and got a new job, that’s all anyone needs to know till i’m ready to say more. But by no means if I tell anyone that information do I want any of it to reach him, nor do I want this number reaching him, ya hear? I mean it!!” At the end Sakura donned a stern face to emphasise that pain might be the ending factor for anyone who divulged any information that could lead to her.

“Whaaaaaat!? You’re not even going to tell us where you went!? What did we do to you!? Come on, no one will tell Teme!!! PLEASE!? We’re worried, Sakura.” Exclaimed Naruto to no end.

“ No, Naruto. It’s nothing against any of you but you know he’ll do whatever he can to get the information he wants. Just give me some time, I don’t even know if I’ll be staying here yet. I need to get situated and see if it’s even a good fit and if it is then it’ll further my career, if not then i’ll have to figure it out from there. Please just trust me a bit on this?” Sakura pleaded, hoping the others would understand the caution. Sasuke had always been good about getting what he wanted, his family had raised him that way, and he never truly left that behind.

After a long pause filled with trepidation and her friends looking to one another for an answer that left Sakura with higher anxiety levels than she was comfortable with, Hinata spoke up,

“i-I understand, take all the t-time you need, Sakura-chan. We can wait!” 

She looked so determined and made a fighting pose as if to indicate she was giving all the courage she could muster to her friend. To Sakura so she could brave whatever storm she might be headed toward, but more importantly to know she had the support of her friend. It was one of the cutest things sakura had ever seen. Soon after the others started agreeing one by one, some in grumbles and others in quiet concern. 

“Thank you. All of you, I’m glad I got to speak with everyone but I should start settling in and unpacking not to mention go get something to eat after the drive here. Sorry again for making you all worry, I’ll be sure to keep in contact as often as I can.” Sakura timidly exclaimed.

“ Now Billboard brow, don’t even start that apologetic BS again. As much as I don’t want to let you go I know I’ll have to, but I’m not gonna like it!! Got that!? And if you meet any cute guys you better tell me all the juicy details, no holding out!!” Oh, Ino...always have to bring up boys at some point in conversation but it was nice to have a lighter topic then what had happened.

With a bubbly laugh from behind her hand Sakura tried to reply, though it was breathy air more than anything. It was that gesture that had the other recipients in the room calmer about the whole situation she managed to get out of, albeit brokenly.

“Pfft s-Sure thing Pig, maybe one out of all those ‘studs’ coming into the hospital” Though it wasn’t a true statement since she didn’t want to think of a new relationship just yet, it had done the job to appease her oldest friend.

So started the chorus of farewells and one well aimed camera angle at a brooding Kakashi who sat quietly in a corner for most of the call, not to mention an impeccably timed screenshot on her part for that image. Leaving Sakura to her thoughts and a dim apartment. It was 2 days after everything had taken place, well into the evening yet because of Ame’s climate and rainy disposition it was darker than what it should have been. Not that she was complaining, afterall it suited her mood and she’d always had a soft spot for rain. Liked how it sounded against the window and roof as she curled up with a warm beverage and book. She liked how the cold drops felt against her heated skin. It had an overall aesthetic appeal to it that she could never get enough of.

Maybe in days to come, or dealing with it on a daily basis it’ll become an annoyance but for now it was all she wanted. After taking a bit of time to unpack a few things and finding her wallet, she decided to pull up a map and find the nearest convenience store for a quick meal. Scowling as she stepped out in the dark she realized she forgot to pack an umbrella before making the trip to Ame. Not too big of a hassle since she didn’t mind the rain but the downpour in Ame had her realizing she’d be soaked as soon as she stepped out from under the awning that protected anyone walking along the apartment halls. 

Sakura found herself looking up into the grey bleakness that was this raining sky and contemplated if she should really walk the 15 minutes through it and risk catching a cold her first day here or just head back up the stairs and head to bed without eating. She didn’t have to start her first day of work until the following week after all, but Ame colds are nothing to sneeze at...get it? While getting deep into her own musings picking apart the pros and cons of each side she hadn’t registered the clacking footsteps approaching her. Her mind was too focused to hear the cheery greeting aimed her way. Instead she had a hand cupping her chin with a pensive look on her face as she looked to the sky in thought.

After a short while longer, pent up in her own thoughts she noticed that her right side seemed to warm up as if by a heater. Before she could turn her head to look at what could possibly be the cause a face popped up in her field of vision. So close it was just a blurred blob of blue and gold making her grow cross eyed at the proximity. Whatever it may have been, it chose the wrong day to spook her. So before she had the time to assess what it could’ve been she hopped back with a yelp and flung her fist forward connecting with it. Too bad she didn’t take into account her footing and slipped backwards right after.

The sound of flesh smacking into flesh echoed along the hall with a howl of pain and two thuds hitting the pavement in the corridor. Leaving the rosette lying dazed in a heap on the floor staring up into the amused face of a red head with eyes bright like honey dripping in front of sunlight. To anyone passing she was a pretty picture of wide emerald eyes and petal pink lips gaping in awe. Her long pink tresses fanned out beneath her leaving a long creamy neck open and trailing down into an oversized fluffy silver jumper. Her fashionably ripped fitted black jeans left nothing to the imagination as her toned legs seemed to go on till they reached a pair of combat boots.

She had no clue what to do so she just stayed lying where she was gaping at a stranger not fully understanding what was going on. She could’ve sworn she saw blue and gold, almost the same as a knucklehead back home, but there’s no way he’s here. 

‘There’s no way I saw that dweeb but why am I staring at a redhead right now? Am I in shock? Am I just tired? Did I hit my head too hard? What’s going on?’

Getting lost in her own thoughts once more left her oblivious to the world around her as her face mirrored every passing thought within her mind. Much to the ever increasing amusement of the redhead towering over her with his phone out, or his blonde companion finally resurfacing from where he face planted with a painful groan and curse. Sluggishly pulling a hand up to his jaw working the muscle to help alleviate the pain he called out to her.

“That’s a mean left hook you got there, pinkie. A real Bang, yeah!” He all but shouted as he adjusted his jaw with a wince.

She blinked. Once, twice. Clearing away the fuzz in her mind and confusion from her gaze. Staying planted to where she lay she slowly lifted her head to take in the face of what was once just a blonde blob finally registering that it was a man. One with deep blue eyes and skin much too tan for the climate they currently reside in.

“Huh?” Was the only response she could think to mutter

What was lacking in words was clearly displayed upon her face as she went through the motions as the words hit her mind clear as day. The redheads eyes took on a smugness he left out of the rest of his face as he left his blonde oblivious friend defenseless, clearly reading the way her body language changed. Slowly Sakura rose up, her shoulders were kept rigid as she tilted her head side to side causing her neck to crack loudly. She walked over to him one slow step at a time, and lifted her eyes menacingly over him.

“What the hell did you just call me?” She said in the low voice through taut lips. She began cracking her fingers in a way that gave many chills and one particular knucklehead usually shitting his pants.

“Hm? Well Pinkie, of course! You know, cause of the pink hair, yeah? Don’t tell me you don’t remember your own dye job, un?” He asked exasperated and in a confused haze, heedless to the killing intent before his eyes.

Her eye twitched at the accusation as a growl escaped her throat. The look gracing her face turned from one of agitation to feral furriosity. The redhead chuckled behind his phone and sarcastically told his friend to say ‘cheese’ which caused the blonde to come to a halting realization. Surely this petite pinkette couldn’t possibly be thinking of throwing down with him, right? He was a head taller and while he was lean he still had some well defined muscles so surely this couldn’t be happening. 

Surely his supposed friend wasn’t still filming but now making it out as if he was some sort of degenerate that would put his hands on a woman, Sure she had a mean left hook that knocked him back a bit and left his jaw sore but it wasn’t much more than that, and this woman couldn’t possibly be considering actually fighting, could she? 

Well you bet your ass she would and her even meaner right hook would be the last thing he remembers as he blacked out from a one strike K.O. 

Melodic laughter met her ears as she came out of her blind rage, red in the face and breathing in puffs as the last of her anger left her. She looked over her shoulder at the redhead bent over in self-satisfied enjoyment with his phone camera still trained upon her. It was schadenfreude in its purest form, with the amount of joy he seemed to derive from the blondes' pain. Realization struck Sakura all at once to her very core as she whipped her head back to the blonde laying flat out against the pavement before her. The color drained from her face leaving only her cheeks in bright neon hues of pink. Her mind raced with thoughts as her body rushed into action over the limp body.

‘Oh no, what did I do!? I haven’t had an anger issue like this since middle school!! How could I let this happen! Shit, shit, shit, shitshitshitshit!!!!!’

Quickly falling into her well practiced medical training she started checking his eyes and pulse. While the eye that was hidden under his bangs was blossoming into a rather nice shade of purple nothing was wrong, his eyes still dilated when exposed to light and his pulse still pumped to a strong and healthy beat. Breathing out a sigh of relief and feeling more exhausted than before she dug out a handkerchief adorned with pink bunnies on a white backdrop from her back pocket and stuck it out under the heavy rainfall. Once thoroughly soaked and wrung out she placed in over his eye and forehead and elevated his head on her lap.

Maybe it was a mixture of her circumstance and exhaustion that caused her mind to keep neglecting everything around her. Maybe if she had a proper rest she would have remembered the other pair of eyes that stayed glued to her as if she was the focal point of the world. Maybe she would’ve noticed the interest taking place in those eyes as they concentrated on everything about her. Maybe the cough for acknowledgment wouldn’t have caused her to jump jostling the head in her lap along the way.

So many maybes and not enough certainty which caused her to look up with wide eyes once more and the man who once again was leaning over with amusement evident in a pair of drooping honey golden eyes. He crouched down to be eye level to her and nudged the cheek of the man in her lap with the back of his hand, his eyes never leaving hers. 

“Don’t worry too much about Dei, he’s a hard headed moron.” he spoke in a low dull drawl as if he hadn’t a care in the world, or emotion for that matter.

She gaped a half second more before stammering apologizes for him and his companion, running a hand through the front of her hair and travelling to the back to remove non existent strands from her face in a notoriously old habit that had never quite been broken. Embarrassment had her face heating up hotter and on a voyage down her neck and shoulders.

Shakily she nodded her head keeping her lips zipped tight to avoid further embarrassment. With eyes downcast and unfocused, her hands began unconsciously working through the man's blonde hair. It was an odd comforting habit she had taken up when her and Naruto became good friends. He used to get into many fights, starting from middle school till, well, it never really ended. On the days he ended up unconscious from strangers or herself she would sit and stroke his hair till he regained consciousness with that big goofy grin of his.

“...stupid naruto” She mumbled to herself.

The redhead tilted his head with a questioning furrow of his brow. A frown barely present on his face as her words were dissected through his mind. More so the name than anything else. The name sounded familiar but though he couldn’t be sure if he heard correctly over the rain and how low her voice was when it left her lips. It was a puzzle he was fighting to put together.

“He’ll be out cold for a couple of hours. Do you happen to live nearby or maybe he does?” Sakura asked.

The red head just continued to stare hard into her as if trying to find the deepest parts of her. She had chills running up her spin causing her to clench her teeth. It was weird and overall creepy how glassy his gaze was and how he seemed to be picking her apart like a frog in a science lab. What had she gotten herself into?


End file.
